Gravity
Oneshot.
Swallowtail x Rainwhisker
A small shadowy figure balanced delicately on the edge of a Twoleg half-bridge, head held rather low, tail drooping slightly into the clear waters of the lake. Upon closer inspection it was a dark tabby, one of RiverClan, naturally. It was Swallowtail, warrior of RiverClan, at one of her worst times. The usually content she-cat was radiating sorrow, instead of the usual pride that one would sense being around her. Staring into the lake, she saw her reflection change to his. A soft breeze rippled the water, and the reflection vanished, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Since the Clans had decided on boundaries at the last Gathering, she hadn't seen him. They had reached an agreement to leave their relationship at a platonic level, even though they both loved each other. Rainwhisker had been her support during the journey, and he had kept her going. Without him, she surely would have died along the way. She briefly closed her amber eyes, allowing the dark gray ThunderClan warrior to prowl around the abyss of her mind. She could see his light blue eyes, alight with laughter, staring into her as he greeted her openly at the Gathering. It was then that they had decided not to see each other.
The loss of his company was devastating to the dark brown tabby, and yet she held anger towards herself, too. The dark gray tom had taught her that it didn't matter what Clan a cat was from,and without him, she wouldn't have been thewarrior she was today. And she didn't even get to say "thank you". She had lost a valuable friend, someone who she always talked to, someone she knew she would miss greatly. But she had to hold onto that string of hope that maybe someday,she could be with the brave ThunderClan warrior and confess her love to him.She just hoped that it wasn't in StarClan.
Swallowtail shivered at the thought, and looked up to the sky, white puffy clouds rolling by in a blue oblivion. Her mind wandered once more to the Gathering the previous night, and she let her thoughts consume her.
Swallowtail had obediently followed her mottled leader, who prowled forward with her head tilted arrogantly. She let a patient sigh escape her nostrils, as she sometimes disagreed with Leopardstar's views on right and wrong. But in the end, she was always going to be loyal to her leader, to the dying breath, for their was no doubt in any cat's mind that the young RiverClan leader was a skilled and caring leader.
She sniffed the air, hoping to catch Rainwhisker's scent on the breeze. In truth, she missed him, and yearned for his constant presence more than the sun needed the sky. The dark brown tabby gazed down unhappily at her paws, her amber pools swimming with discomfort. No matter what, Swallowtail knew that she could never truly be with him.
"Hey, Swallowtail!" She jerked her head up to see the cat who had constantly prowled through her thoughts on those endless sleepless nights. The dark gray tom bounded towards her, his dark blue eyes alight with joy. "How's the prey running?"
Though every instinct in her body and heart told her to return his affectionate greeting, she knew deep down that it would never work out. For one thing, RiverClan no longer shared a border with ThunderClan, and there was no way that she could swim all the way across the lake and then back. And then there was the simple fact that she was RiverClan and he was ThunderClan. The rivalries between their Clans was in their blood, and that sort of bond can rarely be broken. She did love him, more than anything, but what would happen if they did see each other? Surely some cat would find out. And perhaps it would end as tragically as it had for Silverstream, a legendary brave warrior who had died giving birth to Feathertail and Stormfur. Swallowtail let herself drown in his deep cerulean eyes for a moment, and then uncomfortably looked away, her tail tip twitching in clear agitation.
"Fine," Swallowtail murmured, thorn-sharp claws of pain shredding her heart. Rainwhisker abruptly sat down, and awkwardly he licked a front paw and swiped it over his ear. She longed to twine her dark tabby tail with his, to breath in his warm, welcoming scent that seemed so familiar to her now, even though back in their old home, she would have considered him an enemy.
"Sorry," Rainwhisker broke the awkward silence, his blue eyes darting nervously from side to side as he added, "I keep forgetting that things are different now." Swallowtail noticed the ThunderClan warrior Brambleclaw watching them, and the fur along her spine prickled in clear discomfort. Brambleclaw's amber eyes narrowed into slits, and he slipped away towards his half brother, Hawkfrost.
"In reference to what?" Swallowtail mewed quietly, taking her eyes off of her mahogany paws to gaze into his eyes, giving him a searching glance. Rainwhisker did not respond for a moment, but instead he heaved himself to his paws and padded closer to her. Tenderly, he touched noses with the young tabby warrior, and Swallowtail flinched, though she did not pull away.
"I love you," He simply meowed, his teal eyes locked with her golden orbs. Swallowtail didn't respond, her whole body frozen to the spot in which she was sitting. Had her ears betrayed her to trick her mind into hearing what she wanted? Rainwhisker's smoky gray fur seemed to shine more brilliantly than ever under the glowing moonlight. "I always have, and I always will. Even though we both know we can't do this." And without another word, he turned and padded off towards Sootfur, Ashfur, and Squirrelflight, who were having a lively discussion about when the best time to hunt squirrels was.
Swallowtail felt a chaotic storm of emotions raging inside her mind. He loves me. Her heart did not conform to gravity as it flew up beyond the treetops, beyond the clouds, beyond StarClan. And though they could never truly be together in this life, she felt happier than ever and walked on winged paws from then on, knowing that he, too, had always admired her from afar.Herheart soared to know that he was across the mass expanse of water, thinking of her. And maybe, just maybe, he was gazing down into the lake as well, praying for the day that they could be together without fear of betraying their Clans.